


Sanders Sides Shenanigans

by Shadow_at_Dawn



Category: Sanders Sides
Genre: Apocalypse, Dystopia, Fantasy, Fluff, Gayness, I have no idea what I’m doing, Just a girl with some random ideas, M/M, Multi, Preschool, Romance, Sanders Sides - Freeform, hi, highschool, mostly angst though, no real plot, one shots, realistic fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-11-02 04:16:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20618984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadow_at_Dawn/pseuds/Shadow_at_Dawn
Summary: A bunch of random one shots of your favorite sanders bois. Updates once a week. I do take SFW requests.





	1. Happy to be Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil has no friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Made this to vent about my day

Virgil walked into the room and set his backpack down just as the bell rang. Yearbook class. While Virgil himself wasn’t a very social person, he had been disappointed to learn that his new, smaller high school didn’t offer journalism. So he had taken the next best thing. And you know what? It wasn’t half bad.

The classroom was arranged with seats in rows of three, circling out from the large whiteboard at the front of the room. He really couldn’t have asked for a better seat, in his desk on the very edge of the second row. No one else sat with him, but more importantly, he found himself right behind -them-. Patton, Logan, and Roman.

He would never openly admit it, but truth be told, Virgil liked watching them interact. They had such a good dynamic and friendship with each other. The inside joke seemed to be that Patton was the dad, always making sure everyone was doing okay with that gentle, fatherly air of his, Logan the grandpa, mostly observing the chaos, occasionally making sardonic observations, but intervening if things got out of hand, and Roman the toddler, with his never ending fountain of energy, mischievous ideas, and playful nature.

Virgil was glad to see Patton back in class; he hadn’t been there the last couple of days. Virgil would have to make sure to say hi.

And then class began. Today they were supposed to make posters for the homecoming parade, to promote the yearbook class. Very quickly the three large posters were set out to be decorated, and the students naturally split themselves into groups, friends with friends, to work on it.

Ugh. Group work. Definitely not Virgil’s favorite. Turning naturally towards the poster the others were working on, he hesitated. Should he just join in? Should he ask? Or should he just pretend to be busy with other things at his desk? Probably not the best option for his grades, but it had worked before. Luckily, he didn’t have to decide as Patton noticed him and cheerily waved him over.

Saying hi to Patton, Virgil sat down and began to work. This poster was more book themed, and so he had been tasked with drawing a large, open book. Drawing had never been Virgil’s forte, but he tried his best. But even that didn’t seem to be enough. His dimensions were off. His lines weren’t straight enough. Gosh, this was gonna look real crappy compared to the other posters.

But at least he got to be by the others. Just being around them was enough to lighten his mood. He smiled to himself as, throughout the period, they talked and bickered and bantered. Patton chasing Roman down, trying to take the scissors away from his hap-hazardous care. Logan smiling as Patton cracked another dad joke. Roman trying to entice Logan to join his marker and pen shenanigans.

How Virgil wished he could be a part of that. Well, they were sort of friends, but Virgil was still new, and didn’t know them all that well. It was clear to him that he wasn’t really part of the group. Just hung out around them on occasion.

But he couldn’t deny that it hurt sometimes. Sometimes it was great, but sometimes it really got to him, their happiness. He could feel it now, that ache inside his chest as he watched them. What he wouldn’t give to be a part of something like that. To have friends like that. To be their friend.

Virgil would walk into the room and there would be Roman with a big smile and an enthusiastic hello. Logan would ask about his day, and Patton would give him a hug and ask if he ate breakfast and has been taking care of himself, the same way he did to the others.

Yeah right. Like that would ever happen. 

At long last, the bell rang, and Virgil made his way to the cafeteria. Looking up at the menu on the monitors, he frowned. Nothing good today. Maybe he’d just skip. Despite having missed breakfast, he really wasn’t all that hungry.

Exiting the cafeteria, he made his way across the school to his favorite spot, a gap between the second best vending machine and the wall. Taking out his headphones, he put them on his ears and turned the music up a bit higher than he usually did. 

Scrolling through his phone, he almost didn’t see Patton stop and wave hello. Pulling his headphones down to his neck, Virgil was surprised when he heard Patton ask if he wanted to sit with him and the others. Evidently they ate in a classroom just down the hallway.

Stammering out a sure, Virgil made his way to the classroom as Patton went to go finish his trip to the bathroom. Entering, he was relieved when Logan and Roman, surprised at his unexpected entrance, said hello. Sitting down near them, Virgil once again turned on his music, this time only covering one of his ears with the soft fabric, and turning the volume way down.

For the rest of lunch he once again listened to them talk together, their conversation ranging from day to day things to the logistics of a wide scale war in a particular fantasy setting.

And as he left to go to his third period, he couldn’t help but wonder once again how it would feel to have friends like them. To be worried about. To be appreciated. To be hugged. But none of that mattered anyway. Virgil was just happy to be able to glimpse their bright, little world of happiness, sunshine, and friendship. It was more than he had ever gotten before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, today kinda sucked. But on life goes!


	2. Sleeping Beauty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pre-school adorableness!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Felt a bit bad to start off with angst, so have some adorable prinxiety fluff!

Patton loved his job. He really did. Working with children was a dream come true; sometimes he really felt like the luckiest man alive. But other times, things got hard. Other times it seemed like nothing could go right. Take today, for instance.

“Roman Christopher Haisly Beaumont, you stop with the attitude come down here this instant!” Patton called up in his sternest voice. How the little three year old had gotten on top of the tall bookshelf was anyone’s guess. That boy was like a monkey on steroids, always bouncing from here to there to absolutely everywhere. With a wild imagination and a stubborn attitude, he could be a wildcard. And while sometimes he was adorable, and sometimes, he could be a real treat to be around, today was not that day.

“NO! You can’t make me!” Roman called back, putting on his pouty face that Patton knew far too well. Patton sighed and massaged his temples. First Logan lost his lunchbox. Then Thomas got upset because he spilled some juice on his picture and cried for an hour. Darius had to be given yet another lecture on why lying is wrong, and Remus had colored on the walls with the -one- permanent marker in the room. How he got his hands on it was anyone’s guess. Taking a deep breath, Patton composed himself. He could get through this. It was all going to be okay. He had been through worse.

“I can and I will mister.” Patton retorted. “But I’d prefer if you came down by yourself with my help, because that would be safer. And Virgil! I thought you were smarter than this.”

Virgil looked away guiltily and squirmed in his spot next to Roman on the bookshelf. Normally, Virgil wasn’t one to take risks. Patton could still remember that first day when Virgil was brought to the daycare. All shy and nervous, he’d done nothing but cry and pout that first day, avoiding children and adults alike. The way Patton understood it, Virgil had a tough home life, and was slow to trust others or adapt to a new environment.

It was a relief when Roman, probably the most outgoing of the bunch Patton was in charge of, approached Virgil and offered to him his toy to play with. A sweet surprise in and of itself, as Roman tended to be a reluctant sharer. Virgil had accepted, and so, they quickly became the best of friends.

But Roman was undoubtedly rubbing off on him. After all, they were both up there on the bookshelf. And Virgil was undoubtedly rubbing off on Roman. Normally Roman couldn’t stay quiet long enough to get into too much trouble without someone noticing. And Patton couldn’t help but wonder if Virgil was the one who hid his clipboard so that he could make a distraction. Patton wouldn’t put it past the clever toddler.

“We don’t want to!” Roman shouted back. “If we go down, then you’ll just put us under your sleeping curse!”

Oh. OH. So that was what this was about. Nap time. Sleeping curse was certainly an odd view on it, but Roman always had been the one with a big imagination, him and his love of Disney. Patton vaguely wondered whether Roman had watched Sleeping Beauty recently.

“Now Roman, you know that’s not true.” Patton replied, soft but stern “It’s just nap time. Now are you two going to come down or am I going to have to come up and get you?”

“Well if it’s only nap time, then why is it so hard to wake up?” Roman retorted, voice full of triumph over his irrefutable argument.

Patton shook his head in exasperation. Four year old logic. Both adorable and extremely frustrating. Patton decided it was time for a change in tactics.

“I’m going to count to three, and if you two aren’t coming down from those shelves, you’re gonna be in real big trouble.”

Usually counting to three was the most reliable way to get Roman to behave; not that it always worked. And from Romans still stubborn expression, Patton was afraid it might be one of those days. At least Virgil seemed alarmed by the idea. Maybe he’d come down on his own.

“One.....!!”

Virgil grabbed Romans sleeve and whispered something in his ear. Roman nodded. “Yeah, but-“

“Two.......!!”

Virgil continued to whisper in his ear, and Romans face turned from one of confusion to understanding.

“THREE-“

Quickly, Roman began to scramble down the bookshelf. As soon as he was within reach, Patton grabbed him under his arms and placed him gently on the ground. Looking back up towards the top of the bookshelf once more, Patton said “Virgil? Why aren’t you coming down?”

Virgil looked down, face tense, and shook his head. It didn’t take long to realize he was too afraid to climb down. Eventually Patton had to get the stool, climb up, and carry Virgil down safely in his arms. Kinda like a cat, stuck in a tree.

Turning towards them, Patton began his lecture. “Now boys, let this be a lesson to you. Don’t go climbing tall things. You could get hurt, or stuck, or a lot of other bad things. Do you understand?”

“Yes Mr. Sanders.” They both chimed back, Virgil solemnly and Roman rather reluctantly.

Deciding they had probably learned their lesson, Patton turned away and was relieved to see the mats and blankets were already set out and ready to go for nap time. What would he do without his wonderful fellow employees? Well, just employee. Joan was sick today, so it was just Patton and Talyn in the room, with Emile, his boss, checking in occasionally.

Putting a wide smile back on his face, Patton clapped his hands together to get everyone’s attention. “Okay kiddos! It’s nap time! Everyone please make your way to your assigned mats!”

It took a while, especially with Remy, the but eventually, everyone was settled in, the music was floating softly in the air, and Patton was sitting in his chair at the front of the room, finally able to relax a little.

Nap time passed peacefully and with minimal difficulty. Turning off the lullaby and put on the wake up song, Patton went around the room, gently shaking the toddlers awake.

“Come on now, time to wake up. Nap time is over. We’re gonna do music time now.”

Most of the toddlers woke up fairly quickly; all except Remy and Virgil, as per usual.

“Come on Virgil. You need to get up now.” Patton said, gently shaking his shoulder once again.

But Virgil just curled up tighter in his blanket. Patton noticed Roman as he wandered over. Kneeling, Roman then bent down, and kissed Virgil right on the lips.

For a second Patton’s mind went blank, as if someone had pulled the plug on his brain. But then he came back online, and was now trying to quickly assess the situation and what to do next. “Roman! We are not supposed to touch other people without their permission!” What was he thinking? He knew Roman and Virgil were close, but that was a little too far. What in the world...?

“But-“

“No buts about it mister! That was not okay. You need to apologize to Virgil right now.”

To Patton’s surprise, Virgil sat up, seemingly not at all tired, and said “Mr. Sanders, I did give him permission.”

What?

“Yeah!” Roman said excitedly. “How else am I supposed to break the sleeping spell?”

Patton had a moment of realization. Oh goodness. Was that what this was all about? How to explain this to them...

“Well, I’m afraid that we can’t kiss other people here. That’s against the rules.”

Roman frowned. “Why can’t I? My mom kisses me all the time!”

Caught off guard, Patton replied “Well, she’s your mom, and moms are allowed to do that. But you can’t be kissing people who aren’t your parents when you’re this young.”

Roman still seemed unfazed. “Well, Mom and Dad kiss all the time, so why can’t I kiss Virgil?”

Despite the curveball, Patton wasn’t a senior supervisor for nothing. “That’s because your parents are married adults. Now are we done here, or are you going to keep arguing?”

Roman scowled, folded his arms, and glared up at Patton, apparently at a loss for words.

Patton stood up. Roman had been fighting him all day, and it was starting to get old. Patton never really liked punishing the kids, but sometimes you had to do what you had to do. Putting on his stern face, folding his arms, and opening mouth to speak, he suddenly paused as he noticed Virgil tug on Romans sleeve and begin to whisper in his ear.

At first, Roman seemed to not like what Virgil was saying, but then, a smile began to spread slowly across his face. Roman unfolded his arms and sullenly turned towards Patton.

“Okay. I won’t kiss Virgil.”

Well. That was a relief. Turning away in order to finish waking up Remy and start up music time, Patton couldn’t help but wonder what Virgil had said to Roman. Then again, maybe he didn’t want to know.


	3. Perchance to Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman questions his sexuality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure if I like how I did Romans characterization, but I’ve spent far too much time on this not to post, so here goes nothing.

He walked into the building, the chill October air swirling in behind him, curiously exploring the foreign structure. Looking around, he was unsurprised to find the lobby as bland as ever. Bland couches. Bland magazines. Bland colors. Bland tables. Bland secretary. Walking deeper into the room, he chose the least dead-inside looking couch and sat.

Sinking deeper into the couch, nothing to distract him, his thoughts finally escalated from their skirmishes into a full out war. He couldn’t like Patton, could he? He was just an old high school friend; that’s why he had been so happy to see him today. Besides, Patton was a guy. He didn’t like guys; or did he? 

His mind once again went back to the time he had spent with Thomas. No; they had just been friends. That was a long way back. But were there times he wanted it to be more?

But no- he liked girls! How could he just throw everything he had felt with Amanda out the window? All that time and love; that was real. Used to be, anyway.

Then that little voice popped up again, the one that always spoke those uncomfortable thoughts, like a lethal assassin with a license to kill. ‘What if you like both?’

Wouldn’t he have figured it out sooner if he did, though? Why only figure it out at twenty three? That seemed a bit late in life to be realizing something so big.

Admittedly, he was still figuring out a lot. But hey, he was doing pretty well! While the agency wasn’t very large, and admittedly, drier than a mummified desert lizard, the fact they had signed him was amazing! He had his life together! So why was this bothering him so much?

And then, that sneaky assassin snuck in another blow. ‘Maybe it’s because you’re afraid of being an outcast.’

“Roman Beaumont!”

Gratefully jumping out of his darkening thoughts, Roman stood up and walked up to the front desk.

“Mr. Osborne is ready to see you now.” The secretary said, yawning and taking a sip of his coffee. It seemed a little late in the evening for that sort of thing, but to each their own, I guess.

Entering the elevator and pressing the correct button, Roman slapped his face lightly and bounced on his feet, back and forth. Head in the game. Now was not the time to get distracted. His recent bitterly jittery and not very glittery attitude would not fly here. He had things to do, and needed to be in top form.

Roman stepped out of the elevator as it dinged, and confidently went to and opened the nondescript second door on the left. “Hello, my royal advisor!” Roman said in his grandest voice, closing the door behind him and plopping down on the familiar soft red chair with ease.

His bright attitude contrasted with the decor of the room, a stark, bleak affair with little color outside of the natural shades and even fewer personal affects. Piles of paper populated the smaller room, scattered with a great deal of decisiveness, an odd contrast which Roman felt reflected the rooms owner quite well.

Sitting behind the large desk that occupied the middle of the room sat a man who was utilitarian in every sense of the word. Like a general, posture erect, wearing a tasteful, dark blue tie and an impeccable black suit which seemed to Roman made of the toughest iron. And front and center on his desk laid a nameplate, giving him a label like an exhibit in a museum- here sits a ‘Logan M. Osborne’. His agent.

Sighing, Logan adjusted his glasses. “You’re uncharacteristically early.” Opening a drawer in his desk, he reached in and plucked out a file.

“Well, it was bound to happen sometime.” Roman teased. “I just so happened to be in the neighborhood, so I figured I might as well grace you with my radiant presence.” Finally, Roman was starting to warm up, the coldness of his thoughts melting off to reveal his more integral core.

“Radiant is one word for it...” Logan muttered, opening the file and shuffling through the many papers within. “So,” he said, head snapping back up to look at Roman. “You ready to start?”

“Ready? I was born ready!” Roman exclaimed.

And with that they were off, galloping into the battlefield. With the experience of a veteran, Logan guided him, and together they began to tackle each obstacle as it arose, one enemy at a time.

But despite Romans vested interest in what was being said and done, his tangled thoughts kept on distracting him, using their tentacles to drag him back to into his memories, and the war his mind seemed insistent on waging.

His day with Patton. The dog park. Their impromptu tree climbing adventure. His high school years. The good times in theater and band. The hard times with his parents and high expectations.

“Roman?”

Snapping out of his reveries, Roman looked up to see Logan looking at him with a hint of concern. He had been quiet for a while now, hadn’t he? Whoops.

“You alright? Normally you’re a bit- well, louder than this. More engaged.”

Smiling, Roman said “Yeah. I just have a lot on my mind right now.” A second passed. Gosh, this was awkward. Time to change the subject.

“Say, what is that photo on your desk of? I’ve always been curious, but I don’t think I’ve ever asked.”

The photograph in question was one of the few aforementioned personal items in the room. Turned facing towards Logan, Roman had never been able to glimpse it despite his occasional attempts to casually sneak a peek.

“Hmm? Oh, it’s just a personal picture.” Turning it around, finally, Roman leaned forward and drank in the sight.

The first thing he noticed was Logan smiling a very large smile, much larger than Roman had even thought the austere man physically capable of. Dressed casually, he had his arm wrapped around a mystery person, a man about his age wearing makeup, arms tucked in an oversized hoodie, and purple streaks in his dyed black hair, smiling perhaps not as wide, but certainly just as brightly as Logan.

Who was that dark mysterious stranger? A good friend? A brother?

Logan’s voice came back into Romans realm of existence. “It’s of me and my fiancé, Virgil, when we visited Washington DC.”

“Oh,” Roman said. “I didn’t know you were-“ Wait, don’t say gay don’t say gay don’t say gay, abort, abort “-in a relationship.”

Either Logan didn’t notice the awkward stumble or decided to ignore it. Looking at the photo with, dare it be imagined, fondness in his eyes, he said “Yes; we got engaged two months ago and plan marry in the spring.” Placing the photo back in its place, he added “I usually try to keep my business and personal life separate, hence your lack of knowledge.”

“Well, congratulations!” Said Roman cheerily, leaning back into his chair. Nice to know even the robot had a heart somewhere in there.

“Thank you.” Logan replied. “Now, back to business...”

Feeling slightly better, Roman managed to corral his thoughts and stay on task for the rest of the meeting, so much so that he was almost reluctant to cut off the conversation when the time came to take his leave.

“You’re not my only client you know. We can always email.” Logan said, trying to sweep Roman out of the room.

Roman gasped and dramatically clutched his heart with his hand. “You mean- You mean you’re seeing other people? I-I just thought- you know-“

Logan rolled his eyes. “Actors.” Collecting the papers that had sprouted throughout the last hour, he put them back into his drawer. “Now shoo. Get some rest. You’re going to have a busy month ahead of you.”

With a final wave, Roman stood up and slinked out the door, into the elevator, out of the elevator, past the sleeping secretary (evidently the coffee hadn’t worked) and through yet another door. Breathing in the crisp night air, Roman found himself once again kidnapped by his thoughts. They sure were persistent today.

But Roman found that he was less bothered by them than he had been earlier. Regardless of his feelings towards Patton, he knew for sure that he wanted to see him again. And for now, that was enough. The rest could wait.


	4. Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prince Roman appears to be in need of rescuing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this turned out a whole lot longer than I thought it would. First attempt at writing combat, so you’ve been warned.
> 
> Also, due to a lot of things, everything I write I have to write on my mobile iPhone on Notes, so if there’s anything wacky with the formatting, please let me know (besides paragraph indentation; I would if I could, but on mobile it would take up a huge amount of time and effort better spent actually writing)

tw- swearing

And with a flash, they were there, the cold morning air assaulting their skin, and the dead leaves of the elm forest crunching under their sudden weight.

Logan, dizzy and nauseous, managed to keep his composure. Long distance teleportation was always hard on the constitution, but he had done it enough to where he was now accustomed to the more undesirable affects.

Patton, however, proceeded to fall to the ground and dry heave. Not fun, not fun at all. He hadn’t been very happy about it before, but now he was glad that he took Logan’s advice not to eat breakfast. Oof.

“Are you going to be all right?” Logan inquired, putting the teleportation stone away, stepping over to where Patton knelt, and reaching inside his bag. If needed, he did have a potion that should help with the after effects. Some people took teleportation harder than others, and Patton wasn’t used to the sensation.

“I’ll be fine.” Patton said, voice strained. While he felt awful, he knew that it would probably pass eventually. Slowly standing up, he wobbled, nearly falling again. Luckily, Logan was there to catch him.

Logan looked at Patton with concern. “Are you sure?” 

“Yeah, yeah. Just give me a minute.”

True to his word, a few minutes later Patton seemed better, though still a bit pale. Logan wished they could wait longer, but time was of the essence.

Logan stood up, and Patton stood as well. It was probably time to be going. Looking deeper into the forest, his thoughts once again turned to Roman. Poor Roman. Pushing his worries and fears back down, Patton asked “So which direction are we going?”

After pausing to look around and gain his bearings, Logan pointed. “This way.”

And with that they were off, traveling deeper into the forest. Patton, despite being on edge and cautious, couldn’t help but marvel at the beauty of the forest around him. Most of his memories were of the city and the castle, so the woods were almost like an entirely new realm. Not that he’d never been in the woods before, he just didn’t get to go that often. Glad for the distraction, Patton began to see how many new things he could find in the scenery around him.

Logan, on edge and watchful, slowly began to connect himself to the surrounding environment. It was one of the first things he had ever learned after beginning his magical training, an exercise to help him feel the magic and energy (interchangeable words really; for all intents and purposes, they’re the same thing) around him. So far he could sense nothing amiss. But it shouldn’t be long now until they reached enemy territory.

Patton glanced over at Logan. It was weird seeing him without his indigo apprentice robes on. Usually he was so uptight about silly rules like that. Come to think of it, it also felt kinda weird to be out and about not wearing his own robes. While they were often a pain, Patton realized he’d gotten kinda used to them over the years. Still, it was nice not to be dying of heatstroke for once. Cleric fashion was the worst.

Logan suddenly held out a hand, blocking Patton and stopping him in his tracks. What was this... wild energy? Feeling around more, Logan realized that there was a wall of energy stretching as far as he could sense. Rolling, shifting, and toxic, it felt like nothing Logan has ever encountered before. It must be Vynte magic. That was the most obvious conclusion.

“Logan?” Patton asked, confused by his friends sudden change in temperament. What was going on?

“We’ve hit a wall of Aunwye magic.” Logan replied, realizing he had probably confused Patton by stopping and not explaining himself. “I can only assume it acts as some sort of barrier to the encampment.” Thinking a bit more, Logan added “It’s probably time that we bring out the rest of our preparations.”

“Ooh, ooh, does that mean we get to go invisible?” Patton asked, aware of the implications of Ryenin magic, but still excited. He’d never got to go invisible before!

Logan sighed, bemusedly irritated. “No Patton, we are not going to go invisible. I am going to render us both -unnoticeable-. Invisible acts on the user whereas unnoticeable act on the viewer. Ergo, unnoticeable doesn’t leave footprints or cast a shadow.” 

“Oh.” Patton said. He hadn’t really thought of that before. While Logan began to prepare the spell, Patton made sure he had his short sword out and fingered his necklaces nervously. This was it. May the gods be on their side.

Hmm? What was that? Turning his head to look in the direction of the woods, he paused. He could have sworn he felt something touch his wall, some sort of magic. Just a bit. But the sensation was gone now; had he imagined it? Hmm... well, it wouldn’t hurt to check. It’s not like he had anything better to do.

And with a final word and gesture, the spell was done. Grabbing Patton’s hand, Logan said -Don’t let go of my hand. Because we are unnoticeable, it will be extremely difficult to find each other if we become separated. Also, we should probably speak telepathically like this from now on-.

Patton nodded his agreement. Then he remembered he was unnoticeable. -Yeah-. Feeling his hand tugged forward, Patton followed Logan deeper into the forest.

While the wall unnerved Logan, he was fairly certain from the way that it was constructed that its function was to alert the walls architect whenever someone passed through. Hiding their auras, however, should have bypassed that function. Hopefully. You could never really be certain with Aunwye magic.

After what felt like fifteen minutes of walking, the trees around them finally thinned out enough to reveal their destination. A large fort dominated the clearing, roughly constructed, but effective all the same. The doors to the fort were open, revealing a multitude of tents within.

People wandered freely around and inside the fort, an odd looking group to be sure. Some seemed normal at first glance, but others had more obvious quirks of appearance; different colored hair, large birth marks, patches of fur, horns, tails, and black scars were but a few of the oddities that they could observe. These were the rebels; the Aunwye. 

Logan only had a second to react. As soon as he felt that energy touch his, he knew whoever had created that wall had found him. Pushing Patton away from himself, Logan shouted -Get Roman!-. And with that, the foreign energy overtook him.

Patton was confused. What was going on? Why had Logan pushed him away? Looking around, Patton noticed a figure stepping out from the shadows beside where Logan was. Pattons blood ran cold; it was an Anwye. They’d been caught.

“Well what do we have here?” The man appeared to be about their age, seventeen or eighteen, with pale skin and black hair. He was wearing black robes on his person and rouge on his face, with painted black lips and eyelashes, lined eyes, and purple eyeshadow. The most striking aspect of his appearance, however, were his violet eyes, which glowed a bright, saturated color that seemed almost unreal compared to the natural colors of their surroundings.

Logan tried to move, but found that the mans alien energy had dug its way into his own body’s energy, paralyzing him and leaving him vulnerable. Damn it. Who was he? 

Patton flinched back before realizing that the man wasn’t looking at him. He must not know that he was there. Watching as the man waved his hand and Logan become visible once more, Patton wished he could help Logan. But he must have given himself up for a reason; Patton needed to get to Roman. Turning, Patton quickly began to walk, then, once he was a safe distance away, run towards the fort.

“I thought I might have felt something, but I didn’t really expect it to be an intruder. My lucky day.” Logan, ignoring him, worked on gathering his energy and regaining control. He needed to keep the man occupied, try not to allow him to alert allies, and not be captured all at once. His mind buzzed with stratagems. He only had one chance. For Roman.

Virgil studied the man now kneeling in front of him. He had dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and was wearing nondescript clothing. In other words, he was normal. So how had he gotten past his wall? Well, he supposed they’d figure it out eventually. For now, he would bring the man to D. He should know what to do with him.

Finally, Logan regained enough control to speak. “Is it really your lucky day?”

The man paused. “You can talk?”

“Well obviously. The true question here is are you deaf?” Logan retorted, watching the mans face turn from one of smug confidence into irritated wariness. That’s it, take the bait; he needed to provoke the man, entice him into conversation. 

“You’re a wizard, aren’t you?” Virgil said, contempt coloring his face. Gods; one of these pricks. “I should have known. That would explain things.” Wizards. Aka, the scum of the earth. Probably some imperial type, come to murder them in their sleep or some other fuckery.

Success! The Aunwye hated wizards, like most of his kind. This was something Logan could use against him. “And? Do you have a problem with that, Helkin?” And as soon as Logan said it, he knew he’d got him. Helkin was an antiquated word for their kind, extremely offensive and rude, rife with many negative connotations; a slur. And Logan could see in the mans eyes a hatred spark. Hopefully Logan hadn’t gone too far.

Helkin. The word echoed in Virgil’s skull. Walking forward in a haze, he put his hand around the mans throat. “How dare you speak that word?” He hissed out. “You absolute asshole. You wizards think you’re all so great, just because you can dance around, say some words, and make pretty sparkles. You look down your noses at us, just because we were born with magic rather than learning to manipulate it. Generations of oppression and violence, and you have the audacity to come here and start talking shit; if you think you can just say things without consequences you’ve got another thing coming.”

The mans grip began to tighten, and Logan couldn’t help but think maybe he really had gone too far. Well shit. Luckily, the mans anger was distracting him, breaking his concentration. One shot was all Logan needed.

Virgil could feel his energy shifting and lashing erratically, but he didn’t care. How could he even think to say that word? That awful word. What did it matter whether the man was conscious or not when Virgil brought him to D? Surely, he would understand.

Finally, Logan had gathered enough energy in his core. Without any preamble, Logan shouted the necessary words and pushed the energy outwards from his hands and straight into the man. With a crack of thunder, the man flew backwards and slammed into a tree, which let loose an ominous groan. That should keep him down, if just for a little while.

Virgil only had a split second to react to the burst of energy he sensed coming from the man. Quickly, he projected a false copy of himself in front of him, and while the blast destroyed the copy in a blink of an eye, it gave Virgil at least some buffer to the damage. Just some. Not that being slammed against a tree is ever fun. Or being able to smell your own burnt flesh.

Logan considered casting the unnoticeable spell once more and running to the fort, but the man knew his energy signature at this point. Better safe than sorry, Logan walked quickly towards him, readying a spell that should knock him out for around six or so hours; and then the world went black.

Spinning around, Logan reached out with his magic only to recoil when he felt that all too familiar feeling once again. The pernicious energy spun around him, invading his lungs and assaulting his skin, sapping the energy from him. Whoever this man was, he was certainly no ordinary Aunwye. No one took a blow like that and just recovered. He must have some sort of trick up his sleeve. But Logan was no lightweight either.

Moving around the dark field like a shark in water, Virgil closed in on his quarry. The field had been his best bet in keeping the man from harming him while also keeping him trapped, but Virgil could feel the toll it was taking on him. His magic, while helpful, was also toxic by nature, even to him, and walking through it was starting to hurt. Figuring he should go for a more traditional method of combat, Virgil pulled out one of his daggers from under his robes and began to swing for the leg.

First things first; Logan needed to dispel this energy. Gathering his own energy in his hands and whispering a few words, Logan unclasped his hands and pushed the magic outwards, gasping at the difficulty of the task. Now in daylight once more, Logan didn’t have the time to react as the stranger finished his swing, sending a dagger straight into Logan’s lower left leg.

For a second they both just stood there, sweating and panting. Virgil himself wasn’t feeling too good, but the wizard was certainly worse for wear. With a dagger in his leg, he wasn’t going to be going anywhere anytime soon.

Logan observed that the man now looked considerably more disheveled than he first appeared, and had somehow gotten even paler. The darkness must have taken a lot of energy to conjure. He was using too much of his magic at the beginning of the fight. A grievous tactical error.

Logan looked up as he noticed a commotion at the front of the gate. Patton. Steeling himself, Logan let his body absorb some of the magical energy he had within him. While it was certainly not a replacement for actual medical care, it gave him the adrenaline boost he needed. Taking a deep breath, Logan muttered the words and teleported in front of the gates.

Oh no he didn’t. Watching as the man looked towards some sort of commotion at the front gate and feeling him begin some sort of spell, Virgil hooked his energy into the mans, determined not to let him out of his sight. But imagine his surprise when instead of some sort of counterattack, he was unceremoniously transported along with the man to the front gate.

The knife transferred with him, which was something Logan did not expect, but was grateful for; it would help staunch the bleeding. He was considerably less grateful that the man had transferred along with his dagger. Short distance teleportation was hard enough without unwanted parasites hitching a ride.

The unexpected travel left Virgil reeling. He had only ever teleported once before, and while this wasn’t long distance, that didn’t make it any more pleasant. Gasping, he clung to consciousness, spots dancing across his vision.

Slipping inside the fort with minimal effort, Patton looked around and froze. There were too many tents. By the time he found Roman, who knows what could happen. Taking a deep breath, Patton stepped off to the side, knelt down, and began a prayer. The familiar cadence of the words he had said so many times before came back to him, and while he didn’t dare speak, he mouthed the words, hoping that would be enough.

Roman lay in his tent, panting, and bored out of his mind. One could only exercise so many times in a day, and with nothing to break the monotony except meals, Roman was about ready to riot. Really. What did one need to do for some entertainment around here? Worst involuntary camping trip ever.

Sitting up, Romans mind once again drifted back to that day on the road. How frustrating! If only the cowards had cared to face him in honorable combat, perhaps things would have gone differently. As it was, Roman had managed to get in a few blows before the magicians got to him.

Standing up, Patton knew his prayer had worked. Dodging around people, carts, and tents, Patton let that tug deep in his chest guide him through the camp. Then he suddenly stopped in front of a small, faded red-brown tent. This was where Roman was. He just knew it. Stepping forward, Patton opened the tent flap.

“Psst! Roman!” Patton spoke in a hushed whisper, but he couldn’t help but feel a rush of relief and joy at seeing his friend. Roman. While his clothes seemed rumpled and he had certainly smelled better, Roman looked to be okay. Roman was okay.

“Patton? Is that you?” Romans’ eyes widened as he looked at the seemingly empty space that was holding open the tent flap. “Maybe I’m finally going crazy.” He muttered to himself. Only a matter of time, really. How could it be Patton? That would mean that he somehow left the castle and had made his way here, presumably to rescue him. Wishful thinking, surely. But the tent flap was still open, so there’s that.

“No, it’s really me!” Patton said excitedly. “Logan made me unnoticeable. But we need to go; like, now. Can you leave the tent?” Come to think of it, Roman wasn’t tied down at all. Why hadn’t he left already?

So Lagan was there too? Roman felt his disbelief melt into determination. This was it. Standing up, Roman said “If you help, I think I can. This tent has a spell on it that prevents me from leaving, but if you destroy the tent from the outside, then that should probably do the trick.” Too bad Roman didn’t have his sword. Darn it, he missed his sword. Crafted especially for him, it had been taken in the ambush. Maybe they could try to grab it on the way out.

That made sense. But destroying the tent would bring a lot of attention to them. Plus, Patton didn’t know how much longer the unnoticeable spell would last. Thinking quickly, there was only one option that Patton could think of that solved both problems. Kneeling down once again, Patton began to chant, shedding the unnoticeable spell as he did. His body began to ripple as if underwater, and with a bright flash, Patton finished his transformation.

Roman watched as Patton abruptly appeared, kneeling down and chanting some sort of prayer. Roman didn’t often see Patton actually preform spells; he usually did that sort of thing when working in that stuffy old church.

Then, with a ripple and a flash, Patton was gone, replaced by a Morgan palomino stallion with white markings. Roman stepped back instinctively as the horse (Patton, I guess) reared up and brought his front hooves down on the side of the tent. Reacting quickly, Roman tumbled out of the now collapsed tent. Looking around, Roman saw that they were starting to attract attention. Time to leave.

Patton resisted the urge to shy away as Roman ran towards him and jumped on his back with the ease of an experienced horseman. “Hiyah!” Roman yelled, clicking his heels against Patton’s sides. Patton reacted instinctively, and with that they were galloping through the fort, Patton boosting his own speed through his magic. People either jumped or were thrown out of the way, and a cry was now being raised. “Prince Roman! Prince Roman is escaping!” 

Now that they had been noticed, more people were trying to bar the way. One person tried to grab Roman, only to be kicked squarely in the face. Another, assuming Patton to be a normal horse, conjured a loud roaring noise in order to startle him. But they pushed through it all.

And as they made their way through the crowd, frantically pushing forward, Roman could have sworn he saw that snake faced bastard, just for a second. But then he was gone. Roman shook his head. The only thing that mattered right now was escaping. Focus.

Nearing the gate, Patton suddenly began to slide; one of the Aunwye had coated the ground beneath him with ice. Patton tried his best to keep his balance, but skidded and fell onto his front knees, accidentally bucking Roman off in the process. Patton wished he could see if Roman was okay, but it was taking all his concentration not to tip over. Then he did. Both of his front knees were badly skinned, and Patton felt like one of them might be sprained. Ow.

Roman flew forward as Patton unexpectedly buckled beneath him, landing hard on his back. A second passed. Then another. Finally, Roman gasped, coughing as he desperately breathed in that sweet, sweet air. A bit bruised but otherwise unhurt, he sat up and noticed Patton a few yards (meters) away, laying on his side. He must have fallen down on the ice. Scrambling to his feet, Roman raced over to Patton.

Realizing he couldn’t run in horse form like this without risking further injury, Patton said the prayer of gratitude and changed back in another flash of light. Looking down at his elbows, he winced. Blood was starting to staining his sleeves, and Patton hated to think what the actual injuries looked like.

As Roman neared Patton, who was now in his human form, he noticed that he was looking at his elbows, which seemed to be bleeding. Without missing a beat, Roman bent down, picked Patton up at the waist, and, as gently as he could, swung him over his shoulder. Even with Patton’s weight, Roman knew that he would probably make better time this way than if he had to slow down so as not to lose Patton. The Helkin were now starting to close in, and there was no time to waste.

Dizzy and light headed, Logan noticed Roman run out of the gate with Patton slung over his shoulders. Roman was safe. Oh thank gods. Then he pushed down his emotions. He could react later. Turning to the more urgent matter at hand, Logan went to put his hand around the mans neck, but before he could knock him out, the Aunwyn stumbled back, ripping the dagger out as he did. Logan gasped, distracted by the sudden pain.

Virgil knew that he couldn’t stick around. A quick look told him that the camp was in disarray, Prince Roman had escaped, aided by an unknown person, both Prince Roman and said person were heading this way, presumably to help out the wizard, and Remus and D were nowhere to be found. But at the same time, he couldn’t just let them go. He had an obligation to them. To the camp. Promises to keep. Duties to uphold.

Patton noticed Logan in appear in front of the gate and was about to allow himself a sigh of relief before he noticed the man from earlier kneeling in front of Logan. What was going on? Then the man fell backwards, and Patton gasped, his view no longer blocked. Now he could see Logan, in pain, and the bloody spot on his leg.

Roman quickened his pace. Logan was hurt, and all he knew was that he needed to get to him immediately, and that whoever had hurt Logan was going to pay. Finally reaching Logan, Roman set Patton down, and turned towards a man Roman now recognized as an Aunwye. Spotting the bloody dagger in his hand, it was no mystery to Roman who had hurt Logan. Growling, Roman lunged at the man, only to miss as he seemingly disappeared and was replaced by three duplicates, which now surrounded Roman.

Logan’s leg hurt, but he could not allow himself to be sidetracked, now more than ever. Roman, while peerless in the art of combat, was facing an Aunwye, and Logan was not about to allow Roman to get hurt. Seeing the three copies of the man close in on Roman, Logan reached out, sensing the energy of each of the duplicates. -To your left!- Logan shouted and without any hesitation, Roman turned and swung his leg directly into the man’s stomach.

Virgil, taken by surprise, lay there in the grass, trying not to be overwhelmed by the pain. The Prince had kicked him right where the wizard injured him earlier, and it was taking all he had not to react. Laying there, Virgil decided it was time for a change in plans. While the wizard did know his energy signature, if he followed from a safe distance, he should be able to track them. For now, he would play dead, or at least, too injured to go on.

Patton, while extremely concerned about the puncture wound on Logan’s lower left leg, was also conscious of the fact that an entire camp of Aunwye were right behind them. “Logan, do you have the stone?”

Roman turned around back towards the group. That kick should take care of the man, for now. Roman watched as Logan fumbled for his pouch, then pulled out a stone.

“Yes. No time to get to safer ground, so we’ll have to do it here.” Logan replied. Motioning for Roman to move in, Logan held his hands over the stone and began to chant.

Oh no. Oh no they don’t. Springing to his feet, Virgil ran for the group, determined not to let them go. They were not just going to teleport out, not if he had a say in it.

Patton put his hand on Logan’s shoulder, letting some of his energy flow into him. Hopefully it would help. Distracted by movement, Patton turned his head and saw that the man was up, and now running straight for them. Shaking Logan’s shoulder, he looked up and began to chant even faster.

Roman was about ready to give the stranger another good beating when he felt the spell kick in. The world began to flicker, and then, it went black.

Opening his eyes, Logan realized three things simultaneously. One, they were not at the location they were supposed to be. Two, his teleportation stone had crumbled to dust. And three, the Aunwyn from earlier had his hand around Logan’s ankle, and was currently vomiting off to the side.

Well shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhangers... My old foe, and as an author, my new favorite friend ;)
> 
> But never fear, fellow fans! I ended up becoming rather attached to this storyline, so I’ll post a part two... eventually...


	5. Sneaking Out and Other Dumb Ideas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil sneaks out, and comes to regret it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Onward, for some wholesome angst!

Click.

With that, the window was shut, and Virgil felt like he could finally breathe again. Turning around, he froze. Crap- now he wasn’t breathing at all.

Sitting at Virgil’s desk with a mini light and book in his lap, and staring at him with eyes so cold and terrifying as to make Virgil wish he was floating in space instead, was Dad.

“Where were you?”

Virgil’s mind blanked in panic. What should he say!? He couldn’t tell him the truth, not unless he wanted to be in even bigger trouble, but at the same time, he couldn’t bring himself to lie either. What should he DO?!?

Awkward silence. Oh god the silence. Thirty seven seconds ticked by, counted by the analog clock on his desk, as Virgil stood there, internally screaming and unable to look away from Dad’s eyes like a deer in headlights.

“Considering that you do not suffer from any serious developmental issues, and considering that I am your father, who has lived with you for many years now and knows you quite well, I am going to assume you know that it is three thirty five AM, that you know you are not to be out past nine without parental permission, and that you know on at least some level that what you have just done is wrong. Am I correct in my assumptions?”

Ever so slowly, Virgil nodded. Dad was pissed. Beyond pissed, really. Virgil wondered whether it was too late to be just about anywhere but here.

Sighing, Dad set aside his book and leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “Look, I know that sneaking out is something that most teenagers do at one point, and I understand that this time in one’s life can be complicated and confusing. Heck, even I snuck out quite a bit as a child.”

Virgil’s gaze snapped up from its gradual downward drift. What? Virgil could hardly even imagine his suit and tie, hyper organized, nerd of a dad ever sneaking out; like ever. Had he actually...?

“But you have to understand that we worry. -Patton- worries. Do you know how we found out you were gone? We found out because Patton noticed you went to bed earlier than usual, and wanted to make sure you were okay before turning in for the night. Do you-“

A soft tapping on Virgil’s door interrupted his dad’s painful lecture. Turning the knob and peeking his head inside the room, Papa looked at Dad, and quietly said “Hey Logan, I thought I heard you talking. Is Virgi-“

Papa’s head turned, and for a second they both just took in and processed the sight of each other. With his bloodshot eyes which were accompanied by dark circles and tangled hair, Papa looked, to be blunt, like a mess. And it was all Virgil’s fault.

Opening the door all the way and clicking on the lights, Papa proceeded to walk towards Virgil, an unreadable expression on his face. Virgil’s mind was in overload; what was Papa going to do? Was he mad? Was he upset? Was he furious? Virgil couldn’t figure it out for the life of him, which was almost scarier than the initial jump scare at seeing Dad in his room.

But his distress soon turned into guilt as Patton hugged him tightly and buried his face in his shoulder. Virgil hesitated, then returned the hug, letting himself sink into the warm feeling, just for a second.

Pulling away, hands still on his shoulders, and eyes watering, Papa looked at Virgil sternly. “Don’t you ever pull a stunt like that ever again.” He said, voice shaking.

Virgil nodded solemnly, blinking away the blurriness in his vision. Papa nodded back, then broke away and let his legs give out, sitting back onto the foot of Virgil’s bed.

A moment of silence enveloped the room, wrapping its occupants in its warm, comforting, velvet embrace.

“So,” Dad said, banishing the quiet with one word. “You still haven’t said where you went.”

Oh god, not this again. Should he just tell them? But they already didn’t like D, and if they knew he had snuck out to hang out with him and the others, they might ban Virgil from hanging out with them permanently. Or worse, what if they found out about where he went afterwards?

“Can you at least” Papa cut in. “tell us that you didn’t do anything dangerous, like drugs or committing a crime?”

Finally, a question he could answer. “Yeah, no, I didn’t do anything like that; I promise. I was just being a dumb teenager.”

“Have you done this before?” Papa further questioned.

“No, just this one time.”

“And remember, if you did you can always tell us.” Patton added, expression open and sincere. “No matter what you do, we will always love you, and be there to help and support you no matter what.”

Oh my gosh, it hurt; all that kindness hurt. Papa was always so understanding and accepting, and in this moment, Virgil felt like he really didn’t deserve it. “I really didn’t do anything; I’d tell you if I did.

Papa’s face and body posture relaxed, and he let out a deep breath. “I believe you, kiddo.”

Dad sat back in his chair and folded his arms. “That does not mean, however, that you are not going to be punished.”

Virgil knew this had to be coming sometime, and at this point he was almost relieved. Whatever punishment he got, he was sure he deserved it.

“For now, let’s start with your phone.” Dad said, holding his palm out expectantly. Reaching into the pocket of his hoodie, Virgil pulled out his phone and placed it into his dad’s hand.

Dad closed his book and placed Virgil’s phone and his mini light, now switched off, on top of it. Looking at Virgil, he said “I need to talk with Patton on the matter, so the rest of your punishment will be given tomorrow. For now, we’ve all had a long night, and would most likely benefit from some sleep. Just know that you are most likely also grounded from friends, and that we may also take away or limit your laptop.”

Setting his stuff to the side and standing up, Dad walked forward and wrapped his arms around Virgil.

In some ways Dads hug was more surprising than Papas. While papa was a very touchy-feely sort of a person, dad usually liked to hang back for those sorts of things. But here Virgil was; being hugged.

“I love you Virgil.”

“I love you too, Dad.”

Patton got up and joined the now group hug. Smiling softly, Virgil added “And you too, Pops.”

Separating, Dad grabbed his things and he and Papa turned to leave. Pausing at the door, Papa turned and said “Good night Virgil. Sweet dreams.”

“See you.” Virgil said, and with the flick of a switch and the click of the door, he was finally alone in his bedroom.

He took a shaky breath in, and then let it out slowly. Walking across the room, he collapsed into bed. As tired as he was, he knew that he wasn’t going to be able to sleep tonight. He felt awful. Never again would he ever let D convince him to sneak out. Besides, for all that drama and pain, the night hadn’t even been worth it. At least, the first part with D hadn’t. But the last part, the part with Roman; that was nice. Still not worth it, but certainly worth something.


	6. Betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan has betrayed us; or has he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was working on a different one shot, but like a goblin who has spotted a shiny, I got distracted. So have this instead!

Greetings,

I knew this bay would come eventually. Our time together has been interesting, but like Virgil’s old, purple cat headphones, I must quit your company. You may think that I a mailing, or perhaps, have gone mad, but I assure you, I am in fine health and am of a sound mind. Rather, I find that the time has come for I to leave.

You have most likely guessed it y now, so I will spare you any further suspense; yes, I was a spy. Hate me all you want, but will it do you any god? I think not.

To you who once called me friend, no, family, let me nake one thing very clear- I have never, and will never, consider myself one of you.

I suppose you may think some final goodpyes are of order, but in truth, I could care less. You were all simply a means to an end, and I am glad that I do not have to put on this tiresome facade any longer. Pretending that I cared about your silly games, and Virgil’s innsipid ideas about being a family was almost too much to bar at times.

You may wonder why I have done this, but to be honest, I am amazed you hadn’t aught on to me sooner. If you really cannot see my reasonings, than you are dumber than I ever suspected, which is saying something.

While this assignment has not been enjoyable in the least bit, it is with pleasure I take my leave, and go bac to the capital.

Don’t try to find me, and don’t try to bring me back. Your efforts would be in vain.

Logan

Roman was stunned. No; this- this couldn’t be happening. Logan- Logan was- How-

This couldn’t be Logan. It couldn’t be. The handwriting may look the same, but surely-

Thoughts began to swirl through Romans head. He was confused, he felt betrayed; memories of Logan kept playing over and over. He couldn’t be a spy, he couldn’t. But who could’ve written the note besides Logan? No one else had access to the bunker. They had extensive alarm systems and defenses, so they would have been notified if anyone broke in.

Speaking of which- “Virgil, can you pull up the footage?”

Virgil looked at Roman, eyes widening in understanding. He nodded, putting the note back down on the desk where they’d found it, and quickly ran out of the room.

Turning, Roman saw Patton was now sitting on Logan’s bed, a blank expression on his face. As hard as this was for Roman to believe, it must be ten times worse for Patton, close as they were.

Walking over, Roman sat beside Patton, and placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’ll be okay, Patton. I’m sure there’s some sort of explanation for this.”

Blinking, Patton looked up at Roman. “But what if there isn’t? What if he really left? Roman, I can’t-“ Patton’s voice began to break. “I can’t do this again-“

With that Roman grabbed Patton and hugged him tightly, rocking them back and forth. “It’s gonna be okay Pat. It’s all gonna be okay.”

Around fifteen minutes later, Virgil walked in, open computer in hand. Roman let go of Patton, who was now much calmer, and looked at Virgil, who’s expression was unreadable. Sitting down next to Patton, Virgil clicked through multiple files until finally, he got to the footage.

And there he was. Logan. Despite the time stamp reading 4:03 AM, he was awake, hunched over a piece of paper, furiously scribbling away. Virgil clicked out and onto another file. Another footage clip popped up, this time showing Logan in the entry way, the time stamp reading 4:28 AM. He had a heavy backpack slung over his shoulder, and for a moment he seemed to stare directly into the camera. Then he turned away, opened the door, and walked out.

Looking over, Roman saw Patton sway in place; staring straight ahead, tears began to fall down his cheeks in thin streams.

Roman was confused. He was hurt. But in all of his tangled thoughts and emotions, there was one thing he knew for certain.

Leaning into Patton and gently wrapping his arms around him, Roman said “It’s okay, Patton. It’s probably better this way. And I promise you that Logan will -pay- for his betrayal.” Looking away, Roman said, more softly “I won’t let him take what we have away.”

With that, Patton began to sob, and Roman found that, he too, was beginning to tear up. He felt like Logan had ripped open that old wound in his heart, and took from him his most prized possession, something Roman never knew he’d had until now; a growing sense of security.

Then Roman felt himself go cold, as if to freeze the emotions pouring from him, as if to cauterize the wound. It didn’t matter. Not really. It had happened before, and it would happen again. That’s just how life is.

Roman musings were disrupted as he noticed Virgil close the laptop and walk over to the note. Scanning through it once more, studying it, Virgil spoke up. “Hey guys; something’s not right.”

“Well tell us something we -don’t- know, Virgil.” Said Roman, snapping back with unintended harshness.

“No- I mean- Just look at it.” Virgil said, holding the note up. “Does this really seem like something Logan would write?”

Romans expression soured. “We -literally- have footage of him writing it. Don’t-“ Roman softened. “Don’t do this right now.”

Virgil rolled his eyes. “You’re not listening Roman. If-“

“Oh -I’m- not listening? Me?” Roman retorted.

“YES!” Virgil shouted, shocking Roman and stilling Patton. “Now would you just let me finish what I’m saying?”

Roman nodded, and with a disgruntled air, Virgil continued. “Like I was saying, since when is Logan the type of person to have so many typos?”

“Well, maybe he was in a hurry.” Roman replied.

“Then what about my earphones? They weren’t purple; they were black.”

“He probably just forgot.” Roman said testily. “No one can remember everything perfectly.”

“But why mention them at all?” Virgil pressed. “And the idea- the idea of being a family-“ Virgil broke off and looked away. “That was Patton’s. Not mine. And how could Logan ever forget that?”

Virgil had him there. How could any of them forget that night, the night that they swore to always be there, to be each other’s family when no one else would, the campfire, the sand, the sea, and the stars.

“So what are you trying to say?” Roman said, breaking the silence.

“I’m saying that maybe he left a hidden message.”

What? Could he have? “But why?” Roman questioned. “Why do this at all?”

“I don’t know, but maybe if we figured out the message, we’d find out.”

Roman was about to reply with yet more doubts when Patton stood up. Walking over to Virgil, Patton plucked the note from his hands, and silently read through it.

Once he was done, he turned to look at Roman. “I think Virgil might be right.”

Roman opened his mouth to speak once more, but Patton beat him to it. “Just give it a chance, Ro. It couldn’t hurt to look.”

Sighing in defeat, Roman stood up and walked over to them. He couldn’t believe he was actually doing this. “Alright. I guess we could try.”

Patton pulled out the chair and sat down at Logan’s desk. Roman And Virgil crowded around him, and they quickly got to work. And not an hour later, they had their message.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mysterious, mysterious! “But wait!” Cry you, my dear readers. “What did the note say?” Well, I’m not telling. To be honest, I’m rather curious to see if any of you can figure it out. With the purple/black clue and Virgil’s actually being Patton’s, there should be enough there for some smart soul to figure it out.
> 
> Also, starting now, I take requests! Do you have a one shot Sanders Sides idea you’ve been dying to see in writing, but haven’t? PM me, and your wish is my command! Please note, however, that I do not take NSFW requests.
> 
> P.P.S, I now have a Wattpad! Please follow and support SSS on there, if you feel so inclined. It is also on Quotev. Keeping in mind the different culture of each website (and the fact some of my irl friends know certain accounts), there may be times where I post a one shot on one or two of these sites, but not the other/s. For each site my username and story name is the same.


	7. Extras

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate to admit it, but sometimes I forget my archive of our own story exists, because I have so little support for it on here. So here is my apology for being late chapter, that is late

So, here we are. I knew this day would come eventually. The day when a week had passed and I didn’t write you lovely folks a one shot like I promised. A day when all my backups have been used, and I have been left empty handed. And I’ve barely been doing this for a month now too. Oof. I thought I’d go longer before having to use this.

And so, in light of this, I present to you, the extras! Basically, I dislike deleting content I never used or cut out from the story, so I have organized them and now present them to you for your enjoyment. 

Perchance to Dream

I wrote this entire little intro before deciding to scrap it completely. Contrary to what I posted, in this one Roman is late to his appointment, and more famous.

Scowling, Roman quickly switched lanes, eyeing his speedometer. Even at his current speed, he was going to be late. Ugh. Just great. He wasn’t going to hear the end of it from Logan, was he?

Still, it’s not like he was just messing around this time. He was with a friend! Turning onto the off ramp, Romans mind drifted back to his day with Patton. The coffee shop, the dog park, their impromptu tree climbing adventure... 

Snapping out of his reveries, Roman pulled down his shade and turned left into the setting sun. Yes, it had been a nice day- with a -friend-. Just an old high school friend who happened to find him through social media.

And besides, it’s not like he was very hard to find these days. Ever since his big break, his social presence had exploded. Sometimes, it could be annoying, but to be completely honest, Roman found he rather enjoyed his new found fame. It had been many hard years in the making, so it was nice to be able to relax and bask in the rewards.

Turning into the parking lot of a nice looking office building, he stopped the sleek red car and turned it off. 

What an unexpected surprise it was to be able to see him again. Being famous sure had its perks.

What a blast they’d had in high school. Roman was always busy with theater, drama, choir, and band back then, but he still thought about the times he and Patton spent together fondly.

Escape

Once again, had issues with the intro. Wrote an intro, didn’t like it; tried a wacky narrator, didn’t like that either. Was trying to figure out how to establish the initial detail of the scene in a natural way.

Logan stepped very carefully through the dead autumn leaves of the elm forest, taking in everything around him in the mid-morning sun. The mulberry bushes, a rabbit den, a slight movement to the left that was just a small aspen swaying in the wind. On edge. Watchful. Now was not the time to be caught off guard.

Patton walked beside him, treading with near equal caution and care. It felt odd not to be wearing his traditional robes; he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been out in public without them. Not that the middle of the woods was very public. But the need for stealth was paramount. He couldn’t have the enemy recognizing him.

Hm? Back again? Well, I suppose we did leave off at a rather suspenseful portion of the story. Still, I’m surprised. You know, you’re more interesting person than I thought you were.

So where did we leave off? Oh yes; the reconnaissance! Did we already go over the part where they sneak out at dawn to- Well, there’s no need to interrupt. You could just wait, you know. So I assume we’re in the woods, then? Alright. We’ll start off there.

We rejoin our intrepid adventurers as they make their way through the elm forest. 

Had some POV issues, so some of this is stuff that I did publish, just from a different perspective.

Shivering a little, Patton realized he kinda missed his traditional robes. In the castle, wearing them was a pain, from the amount of time they took to put on, to the uncomfortable material, to the constantly being hot. But out here, they’d be a lot warmer than what he was currently wearing.

Not that he wasn’t grateful to the stable boy for lending him his current clothes; even if said stable boy didn’t exactly know that he had lent them out. But stealth was the most important thing; even Logan wasn’t wearing his apprentice robes, something he was usually very strict about.

Rearing up, Patton stomped on the side of the tent, causing it to collapse. Rushing out of the now ruined tent, Roman jumped on Patton with the ease of an experienced horseman. “Hiya!” Roman yelled, clicking his heels against Patton’s sides. Patton reacted instinctively, and with that they were galloping through the fort. 

Roman grabbed Patton by the waist, hefted him over his shoulder, and began to run towards the gate. Disoriented at first, Patton soon realized that Roman had probably made a good move. The other Helkin were now closing in.

Had multiple changes to the fight between Logan and Virgil. It was probably the hardest part to write out of the entire chapter, trying to make it both realistic in terms of story mechanics and personality, while also making sure not to majorly injure both of them, while also trying to make sure Virgil didn’t have time to alert anyone and somehow ended up near enough to the group to teleport with them in the end.

Cut this one because Logan would be smart enough to not risk accidentally starting a forest fire. The searing pain Logan felt was Virgil stabbing him.

Conjuring a whip of flame, Logan swimming it around in a wide arc. A pause, and then Logan felt a searing pain in his shoulder. Logan had him now. Logan whipped around and swung his flame directly where the man should be standing.

Originally, Logan began to run towards the fort, causing Virgil to panic and make his dark field. Ended up cutting it because Logan would be smart enough not to let a dangerous enemy possibly become an issue.

Thinking quickly, Logan turned to run towards the fort, the words needed for the unnoticeable spell beginning to tumble from his lips when the world suddenly went black.

Couple of other tidbits.

Digging back in his memory, he began to formulate a counterattack.

While the maneuver had temporarily stunned the man, Logan knew that the cacophonous sound was bound to attract someone, and soon.

Standing up, Virgil braced himself. Three against one wasn’t going to be a very fun fight, but he had to all the same. 

Finally, they came together once again. Fumbling for his pouch, Logan reached in and pulled out the stone.

“Logan, is that a knife in your stomach?” Roman asked, alarmed. (Oh yah, and also originally Logan was stabbed in the stomach. Changed it because it made more sense for Virgil to stab Logan in the leg to hinder his mobility)

Patton turned to Logan, concern radiating from his soft brown eyes. “Logan, are you okay?” With a wound like that, there was definitely a lot of damaged muscle and tissue, and if it hit too close to the bone, it could have easily punctured a major vein.

“I’m fine.” Logan replied stoically.

Sneaking Out and Other Dumb Ideas

Cut these pieces because they didn’t flow right.

Virgil didn’t think he’d seen Dad this mad since last parent teacher conference, when he had to deal with a student who was insisting that it was all his fault she had low grades. 

n’t it? Logan was never really one for touchy feely things, and while that didn’t mean Virgil and dad never hugged or shared a moment, it did mean that it didn’t happen all that often.

Betrayal

So this one probably has the most cut content. I wrote almost an entire introduction before deciding that the story would have a better impact if I led with the note. That way the typos wouldn’t initially stand out that much, and the shock factor was upped. Still feel a bit sad I wrote this big thing and it didn’t end up fitting. I think it turned out really well, too.

Roman opened his eyes and groaned, smacking the alarm clock to turn it off. 9:45. Ugh. As badly as Roman wanted to go back to sleep, he knew he’d never hear the end of it from the others if he slept in and missed the morning roll call.

Rolling out of bed, he winced as he suddenly and painfully realized just how sore he was. Last nights mission really hadn’t been an easy one. Still, he was just happy to be able to see the cold, metal walls of the bunker again. Home sweet home.

Hopping in the shower, he made sure to spend extra time washing off all the dirt and blood spatter. Once he was done with that, Roman made his way to the closet; nothing going on today, so he’d probably just put on the usual. With this in mind, he picked out a casual military shirt, his favorite cargo pants, and his most comfortable pair of combat boots. Grabbing a couple of knives, he strapped one to his lower leg and another to his thigh, putting the remaining two in different pockets. Placing his gun in its holster on his hip, he looked in the mirror. Hmm... and with a few adjustments to his hair, he was ready.

Romans heels thudded against the ground as he walked out of his room, down the hallway, and into the kitchen.

“Good morning Roman!” Patton called out from his spot at the counter. Dressed in his civilian clothes and wearing his trademark smile, Patton hurriedly finished the last few bites of his breakfast. “You sleep okay?”

“Like a prince under a spell, all things considered.” Roman replied airily, making his way to the pantry and pulling out one of the prepackaged meals. 

Sitting down at the counter next to Patton, Roman smirked as he spotted Virgil sitting curled up in a chair to the side of the room, engulfed in a soft, purple blanket and cradling a cup of coffee.

“And a good morning to you too, sunshine.”

Virgil just groaned and took another sip of his coffee. He was one of those people who couldn’t function in the morning without an hour to thaw out and a cup of coffee, and Roman couldn’t help to tease him in the mean time.

Roman was surprised, however, to see that Logan wasn’t up yet. Usually he was the first one in the kitchen. Glancing at the clock, Roman noted that there was only four more minutes until 10:30. But Logan had never been late before, so it was unlikely he would start now.

Three minutes... two minutes... one minute... zero... then negative one. Patton and Virgil shot each other a worried look. 

Roman was worried too, but wasn’t about to show it. Scoffing, he said “Look, I’m sure it’s nothing. He probably just... slept in, or forgot or something. The man has to be human, he can’t always be on time.” But the others still didn’t look very convinced. “Let’s just go check in on him. I’m sure we’ll find in in his room reading a book or something.”

Patton nodded, and both he and Virgil got up from their spots. Together they walked down the hallway, stopping in front of Logan’s door.

“Little nerd, little nerd, let me in!” Roman called out, rapping his knuckles on Logan’s door. “You’re late!”

No reply. No frantic sounds of a tired Logan trying to hurry and get up.

“He’s probably just sleeping.” Roman said uneasily. Trying to open the door, Roman found it was locked. Giving the door a good, hard look, Roman realized he couldn’t break it down; it was metal.

Sighing, Virgil shuffled away without a word, reappearing a few minutes later with a small case in his hand. Shoving his coffee at Roman, he opened the case and got to work. And a few moments later, the door swung open with a click.

Roman pushed his way into the room, ready to “You’re late for a very important date Lo-“

At this point I stopped writing, since I realized I wasn’t going to include it. All that was left to add, however, was the shock at seeing the room empty, and finding the note on Logans desk.

Edits of Logan’s note

But why? That is nost likely the question heavy upon your minds. 

Although, come to think of it, there is one thing I will miss. Tell Patton’s cat I’m sorry to leave. 

You see, I was never truly your friend. I have been planning this from the very beginning. You may hate I, and to be honest, I bon’t blame you.

Other tidbits

spend extra time washing dirt and blood spatter were definitely not things he wanted to miss.

Damn it. If only he’d remembered to turn it (his alarm clock) off yesterday. Turning over, Roman went back to sleep.

Rolling out of bed, he winced as he suddenly and painfully realized just how sore he was. Last nights mission really hadn’t been an easy one (get your minds out of the gutter, I so swear).

(Took out this hilarious edit because in the end it broke the flow. Still funny though.)

It was almost eerie to see it empty; usually Roman was usually one of, if not the last to arrive. 

surprised to see that the kitchen was empty. Usually, at the very least Logan was up by now. 

Virgil looked at the note, scanning it over and over. 

Also, as an extra present, I will give you more help deciphering Logan’s note, as in hindsight it’s harder than I thought it was.

So let’s look at the first line “I knew this bag would come eventually.” Already we have a typo. The word should be “day”, not “bay”. So our first letter is D. There is no more typos until we get to the part about Virgil’s headphones. Remember, Virgil said they were black, not purple. That means so far we have DBLACK. The next typo is the hardest to figure out, so I recommend leaving it for last. In the same way we substituted the false purple for the truthful black, substitute Virgil’s name with Patton’s when you get to that point in the letter. Some typos are harder to catch than others, so good luck!


	8. The Kindness of a Stranger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I starve Patton

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry not sorry about the angst. Contrary to what you may think, this was not sponsored by Skittles. Based off of a day last week when I wasn’t able to eat much of anything all day and then had to go volunteer at a food stand

tw- themes of starvation and depression, maybe character death depending on how you look at it

Walking into the kitchen was like walking into a forbidden paradise. The shouts of chefs and the sizzling of cooking food was music to Patton, a melody further embellished by the heavy clouds of smells laced with enticing promises floating through the air and the sheen of food, freshly made, waiting to be consumed by the hungry customers just outside. A symphony of cuisine.

And everyday, as Patton flitted in and out, clipping pieces of paper to the wall and carrying the end result to the tables, he couldn’t help but envy. What would it be like to be able to bite into a sandwich, to feel the texture of the firm, yet pliable meat and soft textured grain give way under his teeth, letting loose a string of flavors and spices so vibrant it would flood his senses and leave him in a stupor of bliss.

For each new food came a new plateau of joy and anguish; orange juice, macaroni, shrimp, Alfredo pasta, cookies, ice cream, cake, and so much more paraded past, all so inviting, but all harboring the promise of unemployment should he ever let his composure slip. 

Still, his job at the restaurant was not nearly as bad as the movie theater. At least with the former he was in eyesight most all the time, and was really only within grabbing distance of the food while carrying it to its destination. At the theater, it was just him and a coworker, often out of sight of each other; just him and the food.

Popcorn spilled out of containers, overflowing onto the ground, leaving stains wherever they went, and tainting the air with the smell of salty, buttered heaven. The candy sat primly on its shelves, the wrappers gleaming intoxicating colors that seemed too bright to be real, drawing in the viewer like a bee to a poisonous flower. 

But no. He wasn’t a thief. He was a good, honest person. And so, as the days ticked by, so slowly and yet so quickly, he tried to distract himself by any means possible. He chatted with coworkers, smiled his widest, and was frequently complimented for his work ethic and productivity.

It was never enough, however. Everyday after the bus ride home, Patton would immediately go up the concrete steps to his apartment, with shaking hands unlock his door, make his way across the rickety wooden floor boards and into the pantry, where he would grab whatever happened to be in there. Sometimes it was ramen. A box of macaroni. A microwave dinner.

And with deliberate, precise motion, he would make and consume the meal. It’s like he fell into a trance; all he could think about from the moment he left the bus was the food, his mind becoming more and more clouded. Then, in the blink of an eye, he would finally come to, staring at an empty dish.

Longing. That was the feeling that haunted his every waking moment, following him in the shadows like an assassin waiting to strike. With every week that passed the feeling grew stronger and stronger, opening a hole inside his chest to compliment the constant ache in his stomach.

But he needed to spend his time working. He couldn’t afford to waste it on things that didn’t matter. If he wasn’t working he was eating, if he wasn’t eating he was sleeping, and if he wasn’t sleeping he was working, whether at the restaurant or the movie theater or at his few freelance jobs online.

And when he finally got his paycheck in the bank, it was always worth it. With reverence he would withdraw the money, place it in an envelope, and mail it off, putting aside only what little he needed to make it to the next paycheck. He didn’t ever keep much. His family needed it more.

The days began to blur. Weeks passed by unnoticed as Patton grew thinner and thinner. His days were now consumed by hunger, and his mind descended into a perpetual fog that only food could snap him out. But even that became less and less effective as time dragged on, and he tried desperately to remain upbeat and optimistic. Moms medical bills would be payed off eventually. He’d make it through. He was doing just fine.

It was hard though, hard to remain his usual cheerful self when the world was so blurry and gray. That is, until the day the stranger came.

He had walked up to the counter, with his red brown hair and eyes, self-assured saunter, and a casual air of charisma and charm. Patton remembered him. He had bought popcorn and candy for him and his date, a pale man with glasses and a more quiet feel to him, a few minutes ago.

“So, turns out my date doesn’t like skittles, and I don’t really either. I hate to waste them, though, so do you think I could return them instead?”

Patton shook his head and explained that there was a no return policy.

“Then you have them. Here-“

He held his hand out, the skittles glowing under the light, filling Patton’s eyes with its visage.

“You do like skittles, right?”

Patton froze. Was he- Was he actually- Patton shook his head shyly and gave a weak protest, but the stranger just rolled his eyes, grabbed Patton’s hand, and pressed the skittles into his palm.

“You’d appreciate them more than the trash can. Besides, you seem like you need them.”

And before Patton could respond the man walked away, presumably back to his movie.

The skittles lay in his hand, twinkling brightly, ignorant of its significance. It was a gift, bought and paid for, so Patton didn’t have to put it back, or give it away. It was his. All his.

A terse cough interrupted his thoughts, and Patton quickly shoved the candy into his pocket and smiled for the next customer.

That day, walking back to his apartment was different. The skittles weighed heavy in his pocket, and Patton’s mind raced with possibilities. Walking through the door and into the kitchen, he sat down on a stool and reverently pulled out the red package.

What should he do with it? Well, eat it, obviously- but how? Carefully splitting open the wrapper, Patton watched as the spots of color cascaded out and onto the counter, bouncing merrily in a cacophony of sound. Soon he had them sorted. 15 green. 12 orange. 9 purple. 9 yellow. 7 red.

After thinking it over, Patton decided that he would allow himself one skittle a day. That way he could savor the candy, but still get to eat it.

Mixing up the skittles, Patton looked away and picked one at random. Purple. And slowly, hand trembling, he brought it to his mouth and bit down.

For a second Patton couldn’t breathe. It was like a galaxy had exploded in his mouth, filling it with sensations he had nearly forgotten even existed. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he began to cry, then sob. There was still flavor left in the world.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Now Patton never stopped smiling, no matter how down or sad he felt. He never did see that stranger again, but he thought of him often. To Patton, he was proof of everything he thought humanity capable of, proof of the goodness still left in the world.

Slowly his supply of skittles began to dwindle, but Patton didn’t think about that, instead choosing to look forward to the moment that he would once again be able to taste those sweet flavors.

It was like he was floating on a cloud; flying through the sky in a rush of exhilaration, watching the world blur far below him. He got into more trouble at work than he used to, his bosses berating him for his frequent distraction and forgetfulness, but with a remorseful look and a sorry, he was usually not in any more trouble than that.

And as the weeks passed, Patton became even more emaciated. He started to black out at odd moments, his cheekbones became more pronounced, and he always seemed to be out of breath.

Then finally, the day came. Now it was just Patton, and an orange skittle. His skeletal fingers wrapped around that last piece of goodness, and delicately placed it in his mouth. 

He didn’t notice how he fell from the stool, his vision blurring. He didn’t notice the pain in his stomach flair, and he didn’t notice the darkness steal over his vision. All he could think about was that man at the theater; he had such a beautiful smile.


	9. I Ain't Dead Yet!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life

So basically, my life has been insanity personified. I'm super stressed, losing weight at an alarming rate, and my regular access to the internet has been revoked. But I want the people out there who actually like this thing enough to bookmark it, which is zero (although I do really appreciate that one comment, Anon- that made my day) to know that I am not dead, and I am not discontinuing this one shot book. I have currently 39 short story ideas written down, as well as the beginnings of seven separate Sanders Sides books, so I am sure as hell not going to be stopping anytime soon. I just need time.

Consider this a very late hiatus notice. If things don't go terribly wrong (and they might; my life just loves doing that) then I should begin updating again on the fifth of December. Also, from here on out I will update once a week on Thursday unless I already have three short stories saved up, in which case there will be an extra one. Thank you for your patience, and until the fifth, au revior!


End file.
